Super Bowl Ads 2018: Funniest and Most Emotional Commercials Shown

The advertising arms race of the 2018 Super Bowl took place during a modern NFL classic between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots. 

Once again, the real winner was obvious—the viewers taking it all in. 

Those outside of New England didn't take many losses at all Sunday night, watching as the Nick Foles-led Eagles took down Tom Brady and the Patriots, 41-33.

The game featured all of one punt and more than 1,000 total yards between the teams, with Brady throwing for 505 yards and three scores but still losing—Foles took home MVP with 373 yards and three passing scores, not to mention his fourth-down catch before halftime going for another touchdown. 

Complementing the action were the Super Bowl commercials taking a step toward Hollywood epics. 

No spot better signaled Hollywood's influence on the ad game than the hilarious offering from Tourism Australia featuring Danny McBride: 

Not every ad had to stress elite production values. The NFL, for example, went for sheer humor and hit it out of the proverbial park with the dancing tandem of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and wideout Odell Beckham Jr.:

But the best commercials provided a mixture of wild production, values and humor. 

Big names didn't hurt, either, as a pairing of Morgan Freeman and Peter Dinklage for Mountain Dew and Doritos showcased: 

A lack of big names in the Morgan Freeman sense didn't detract from certain hilarity either, of course. 

Amazon came in with a heavyweight offering, likely making more than a few households wonder what would happen if Alexa's vocals changed: 

Then there was Tide. 

Tide took over the Super Bowl unlike any other company this year, slamming the competition for the typical spots before managing to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of viewers no matter which company's ad they were watching. 

Tide then capitalized by throwing in some major swerves, as one can see through their progression of ads throughout the night: 

Few companies stood a chance against such an onslaught, to say the least. 

When viewers weren't laughing, though, they might have approached the other end of the spectrum thanks to some of the emotional offerings. 

Budweiser, for example, threw more attention on its clean-water efforts: 

Though a simple preview of an event that doesn't need much in the way of promotion, NBC Sports didn't hold back while showcasing Lindsey Vonn's incredible journey to date ahead of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea: 

Perhaps the most touching of all came from Toyota, with the company also promoting the Winter Olympics. 

The car manufacturer's effort focused on eight-time Paralympic gold medalist Lauren Woolstencroft: 

Verizon also pulled at the heartstrings with its "Answering the Call" spot, an ode to first responders:

It's only fitting on a night where the football field featured the unexpected, the expected happened in the commercials landscape—various companies stepped up to advance the yearly arms race and created a wide range of emotions among viewers. 

All that remains is seeing how companies adapt and attack the 2019 Super Bowl. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.